Are You Creating Campaigns Correctly? (Dungeons and Dragons | GM Tips)

[@Gaming4ever-pd7jv]

I have studied novel writing and watched online lectures on creative writing. I write my campaigns as a choose-your-own-adventure book for the players. I then use the three-act structure for the NPCs. You cannot write a campaign like you write a novel because you railroad the players. However, the NPCs operate on a fixed plan; their goals don't change, but what they choose to get there will change based on what the players do. I'm running a homebrew campaign in Dragonlance during the War of the Lance. I didn't like SHoTDQ, so this started when I rewrote that adventure to work with the classic campaigns of the 90s. I am re-writing the older campaign books because I never liked that the players were forced to play as NPCs, which created the homebrew campaign.

[@GMJosh-sw9hp]

Wow, your approach is incredibly well-thought-out, and I love how you've brought in techniques from novel writing and creative writing to shape your campaigns. Using a choose-your-own-adventure style for the players while anchoring the NPCs with a three-act structure is such a smart way to balance agency and storytelling-it’s inspiring! I completely agree that campaigns can't be written like novels. Players are wild cards, and that unpredictability is what makes TTRPGs so exciting! Your method of giving NPCs fixed plans but adapting their actions based on player choices is such a great way to keep the world feeling dynamic and alive. Rewriting Shadow of the Dragon Queen to fit with the classic 90s Dragonlance campaigns is a massive undertaking, and I admire how you’re blending the old and new. The decision to make the players the center of the story instead of forcing them into pre-existing NPC roles is such a player-first mindset-I bet your group really appreciates it! It sounds like your homebrew campaign has layers of depth and respect for the Dragonlance setting while allowing for full player agency. Absolutely love hearing about this! Keep up the great work, and feel free to share more about how your campaign evolves. 😊

[@kristofferv]

That first chapter of your reply sounds excactly like chat gbt wrote it(not saying thats what it was, it just sounded funny)

[@GMJosh-sw9hp]

@@kristofferv ah, yeah it does. Maybe I need to make my comments sound more human so that people know I'm actually responding. The age of AI is a tricky time for human conversation.

[@kristofferv]

@@GMJosh-sw9hp haha not that i mind, i think its funny!

[@elgatochurro]

"this has to be 34 minutes dude"

[@garrickstangle5996]

I have to work 2 sessions ahead, to keep up quality and continuity. It's not excessive risk for having to scrap stuff if the party goes in another direction IMO. I think the criterion for how far you dare work ahead is, how much are you willing to scrap if the party goes in another direction without being significantly tempted to railroad to not waste your precious stuff.

[@SCAR16L]

You can usually use the stuff you've prepped at a later time, too. Might have to change the context a bit but that's easier than starting back at square one.

[@garrickstangle5996]

@@SCAR16L Absolutely, I do it all the time, but some GMs still get resistive whenever the party re-arranges their plan for them. That's why I think the criterion should be, how much are you willing to let go of.

[@SCAR16L]

@@garrickstangle5996 I hear ya. Those people probably shouldn't GM. I've been doing this a long time, and I got to a point where I would do almost no prep just because I knew that whatever I did, the players were going to trash everything in the first 4 minutes or less. So I improvised a lot. I'd have basically a macro level idea of what was going on and how the story was progressing, but almost nothing at the micro level. I'm trying to get better about actually doing prep, and just moving things for use later if I can or filing the serial numbers off and recycling my NPCs or whatever. Luckily I'm currently getting a break from being the GM and instead being a player in a Cyberpunk Red campaign.

[@jamesbates9038]

Congratulations on the release bro. it has been very enjoyable.

[@GMJosh-sw9hp]

@@jamesbates9038 boom! Thank you!!!! It has been enjoyable for me as well!

[@Gorkanaut]

Ironically, im writing a campaign right now. A lone phaerimm is trying to release its race from the sharn wall prison. And I'm trying so hard to have a cohesive story without railroading it's very hard as I'm so new so thank you! (Comments are also helpful)

[@GMJosh-sw9hp]

That sounds like an incredible campaign concept! A lone phaerimm trying to free its race from the Sharn Wall is dripping with intrigue and big stakes-it’s such a cool setup! Finding that balance between a cohesive story and player agency is definitely one of the toughest parts of being a GM, especially when you're new. But you're on the right track by being mindful of it. One tip that might help: think of your story as a sandbox with key "landmarks" instead of a fixed road. The phaerimm’s goal is your anchor, but how the players interact with it and the path they take to confront or align with it is where their agency shines. Present multiple ways for them to discover the plot-NPCs with different perspectives, environmental clues, or even faction conflicts tied to the Sharn Wall. That way, you’re not pushing them down one path, but instead offering multiple threads they can pull on. You’ve got this, and it sounds like your campaign is already off to an epic start! If you have any questions or need brainstorming help, feel free to drop another comment. 😊

[@mrmuffins951]

If you’re looking for feedback, I would consider writing a script ahead of videos and making sure that that you have one concise message that you’re trying to get across with a video before you start recording. I expected at first that you’d explain your philosophy then use the book as an example, but this instead kinda just seemed like you flipping through the book and rambling. I hope that’s helpful.

[@MageWarren]

Dang, two ads in 6 minutes. I'm out.

[@tutucanbeats]

Use Brave ma man!

[@garrickstangle5996]

That's too few comments, even for a holiday. So, Mr Algorithm, how are your transistors doing today?

[@GMJosh-sw9hp]

@@garrickstangle5996 boom! I appreciate you. Happy thanksgiving!!!

[@BeardedDevil-cn9tw]

*Campaign* - General term referring to one DM’s adventures as a whole rather than individually. An ongoing series of games based upon a created milieu. *Milieu* - An unique game setting embodying numerous possible variables in its creation, i.e. the “world” in which adventures take place. This has been defined since 1979, and you keep getting it wrong. The terms "campaign" and "adventure" are not synonymous in ttrpg's, however "adventure" and "module" can be. What you have here is just a single module, not a campaign. A very very railroady adventure for both GM's and players. How did you manage that? Why would you do that?

[@GMJosh-sw9hp]

@@BeardedDevil-cn9tw I almost did a shout out to you as I made this because I knew that you were going to comment and say that I got it wrong lol. Happy Thanksgiving!

[@GMJosh-sw9hp]

@@BeardedDevil-cn9tw and it's not railroady unless the players choose to abandon the plot. I just discuss with my players, make a sort of social contract to stick with the plot before we start an adventure like this. If they don't want to play a published adventure than they don't have to.

[@BeardedDevil-cn9tw]

@GMJosh-sw9hp you missed the bit about it being railroady for the GM...can you guess why I mentioned that?

[@BeardedDevil-cn9tw]

@GMJosh-sw9hp also...you do understand that saying "it's not railroady unless...etc" is exactly what a railroad is? So...yeah...it's railroady. Why would you force/cajole/manipulate your players if they decide to exit stage-left and opt to see what the wider world has to offer?

[@gavinruneblade]

How did you make the world map? Did you hire an artist or was it AI art? I come at campaigns from a completely different perspective. I define what will happen if no one interferes. The instigator has their plan and timeline. The NPCs react based on what they know. Then I put the PCs into it. They change everything. The plot flows intuitively as a result. I also always have other NPC adventuring parties of various levels, and whomeever are the end-game threats exist on day 1 and get introduced early. That way it doesn't feel like a hamster wheel of power, instead the PCs have a gauge against which they can feel their power growth. "Hey those guys used to be way stronger than us, but now we just did something they failed to do". One thing I really dislike in most campaigns is that at mid and high level, you start wondering, "why didn't this person deal with the earlier problems? Where were they? Conversely, this enemy could have won everything by acting against us sooner instead of ignoring us, and if there were this many ultra powerful enemies all along, how did the kingdom ever survive long enough for us to be born?" By plotting out the scope of the power early, it feels real all the way through to the end.

[@atomicnectar]

im looking forward to using the Ultimate Plot Randomizer in my next session wish me luck

[@GMJosh-sw9hp]

@@atomicnectar heck yeah! Let me know how it goes!

[@BeardedDevil-cn9tw]

[Sigh] Do you know the difference between serialized adventures and episodic adventures?

[@garrickstangle5996]

no

[@BeardedDevil-cn9tw]

@garrickstangle5996 really? Ever heard of them at all?

[@SCAR16L]

@garrickstangle5996 Think "Law & Order" or "NCIS" vs "Breaking Bad" or "The Walking Dead". In episodic, each adventure has little, if any, connections to other adventures. Sure, the characters get better weapons, new items, better vehicles, whatever, but the stories have no real connections. There might be NPCs that reappear later, but the adventures are basically standalone. In "The Walking Dead" on the other hand, what happens in one episode carries over to following episodes, and they're all connected to a larger overall story. Another example would be the Star Wars series "The Bad Batch", or "Rebels". Not every episode/adventure has strong links to the main story, mind you, you can have a session that is completely unrelated.

[@BeardedDevil-cn9tw]

@@SCAR16L pretty much

[@jayteepodcast]

Is this AI written 🤔

[@GMJosh-sw9hp]

Hey, great question. I do all of my own story writing and such. I DO utilize AI help for things like spotting typos, spotting grammar errors, and sometimes I use it as a sort of 'second pair of eyes' editor in a general sense! I hope that answers your question!